St. Paul daily globe., 1887-11-06

his best customers. He took from each
of the sufferers letter to his friends at
home describing the privatiOns of the
sick. From all the officers not in the
hospital he took letters of tranSmittal
with the drafts, setting forth that the
bearer had done them great service in
cashing the drafts, and expressing the
hope that they would be paid.
"These operations occupied about six
weeks. Altogether the man had Sc
cured drafts to the amount of about
$4,000 in gold-for every draft stipu-
lated that it was to be paid in gold.
Gold was then at a big premium in the
North, so the draft for 500 would be
worth Sl5OSor perhaps 500 in the North
if it was paid In gold. The speculatOr
intended to make money both ways. If
he could collect all he would have from
$4,000 to 100000 in greenbacks for his
drafts.
lone day it was known that there
were to be two Union officers exchanged
by the flag of truce in the harbOr. One
of the lucky fellows was the money
lender. The other was cavalry officer
who had been prisoner for many
months. The latter had long watched
the performances of the mOney-lender,
and had resisted all inducements to
lHC thO NClit Oub VI
the harbor together, and were received
on board the Cosmopolitan by Gen.
Stewart l.. WOodfOrd, the adjutant gen.
eral of the department Of the South.
They were transferred at Hilton Head
to the steamer AragO, a government
transport bound for New York. The
AragO was ordered to stop at Fortress
Monroe to let the two exchanged prison
erS and dispatches from Gen. Gilmore
go thence to Washington. The money
lender and the cavalry officer had Occu
pied the same StateroOm on their north
ern voyage. During the voyage the
mOney-lender became quite chatty and
the cavalry officer became convinced
that the former had never been an
officer in the Union army, but that he
was simply put into the prison at
Charleston to work the prisoners for
the profit of the ShylOcks of that city.
LAS the Arago steamed up the bay
toward the dock at Fortress Monroe,
the money-lender pulled from under his
mattress small Satchel. This was his
only baggage. The cavalry officer had
only the clothes on his back. and those
he had borrowed from Gen. WOodfOrd.
The two went on deck. The money
lender pushed his way eagerly to the
forward deck and stood by the capStan.
Presently ne placed his precious bag
upon the top of the capstan, holding OH
to it, however, with tight grip. Near
him stood the cavalry officer, amid the
crowd of passengers who were watch
ing the shores and participating in the
excitement of landing after a three
days sea voyage. Some incident of the
occasion produced sudden rush to the
vessels side. In that instant the
mOney-lender let go his grip on the
satchel. Quick as thought it was seized
by another hand and dropped into the
waters of Chesapeake bay.
''NO one saw it done, for it was
dropped over the side of the ship when
none were locking. The cavalry officer
was calmly leaning over the starbOard
rail contemplating the beautiful eX-
panSe of Hampton roads, apparently
caring nothing for the stir and clamor of
the landing. The mOney-lender eX-
claimed at his loss. offered reward for
the return of the satchel and its con-
tents, but no one could offer him any
comfort. He went down to the dock a
very sad man, and no one seemed to so
deeply sympathize with him as his conf
rade of the Second United States cav
airy.
1T is needless to say that none of the
drafts ever tnrned up to plague the
Union prisoners after their return, al
though some of them received letters
from the money-lender in after years
asking a settlement of accounts. Some
doubtless paid, but the major portion
concluded that such losses as that of
the Shylock ought to be counted among
the fortunes of war"